Devil Mountain Lakes

Devil Mountain Lakes is a maar in the western part of Alaska. The lake is considered to be the largest maar in the world; it is part of the Espenberg volcanic field.

Geography

Devil Mountain Lakes is located about southwest of Kotzebue on the northern part of the Seward Peninsula. The coordinates are.
The crater lake has a diameter of about ; it is part of the Bering [Land Bridge National Preserve]. It consists of two connected craters, North Devil Mountain Lake with a diameter of about, and South Devil Mountain Lake with a diameter of about.
There are several nearby maars, such as the Killeak Lakes and White Fish Lake. The area is sometimes also called Espenberg Maars.

History

The lake was probably shaped during volcanic eruptions about 21,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Ice Age as lava flows came through the permafrost creating violent underground explosions.
On December 1, 1978, the nature reserve was established as "Bering Land Bridge National Monument"; on December 2, 1980, its name was changed to "Bering Land Bridge National Preserve".